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Riding Now

When Australian immigration stamped Chris Ellison's passport and ushered his bike through customs, the American from Hood River, Oregon, was all clear to embark on a bicycle touring milestone: Australia was the only continent he had not cycled, with the exception of Antarctica. The seasoned touring cyclist, who has ridden through Patagonia in Chile, Greece, France, Spain, Canada and the United States, wasn't alone; Chris's friend Shawna Jardan from Scottsdale Arizona, was setting a milestone of her own: her very first cycle tour.

Collis Ivey is taking a break in the small Queensland mining town of Emerald when I call. It has been a few weeks since he, his wife Kathy and a group of cyclists left Melbourne for Cairns along the Great Inland Way, and now their destination is just a few days' ride away. Cairns marks the end of the first leg of a six-month bike tour around Australia, which Collis and Kathy operate through Cycle Across Oz every two years. It`s a project built out of a passion for bicycle travel and the demand from cyclists for supported rides. So what`s it like riding up along the Great Inland Way, west of the Great Dividing Range? Here's what Collis has to say.

Reid Anderton has been cycling for almost 11 hours straight when he answers my phone call. I've been hesitant about calling him; he has ridden more than 9,000km in less than 24 days on his mission to become the fastest person to cycle around Australia, and I don't want to get in his way. But I'm assured by a member of his support crew that I should call him. The wind is blowing into the phone making it hard to hear, the same wind that has been torturing the father from Brisbane as he edges closer to entering the record books. He slows down to chat.

When American Jimmy McGee returned home from his very first bicycle adventure from Wisconsin to Florida a few years ago, all he could think about was his next bike trip. Like many of us, he had become addicted to the 'euphoric' effect bicycle touring has on the mind and body. So when Jimmy saw in an ad that an English cyclist, Nick Scaife, was looking for a buddy to join him on a ride all the way around Australia, like any addict, he couldn't resist. So how did the cool-climate American fare through Australia's hot summer? Cycle Traveller touched base with Jimmy as he continues his cycling journey through New Zealand to find out.

Peter Evans is more commonly found in the boardroom of Colliers International where he is the National Director for Corporate Solutions. However, since November, the Melbournite has been getting out on the road, having pedalled an impressive 6,000km in preparation for this year’s Tour de Kids, a 1,000km challenge through Tasmania to raise funds for seriously ill children. The annual Tour de Kids has been running since 1988 and challenges company executives to compete, both physically and financially, in support of the Starlight Foundation.

When Robbie Sage farewelled Scotland and set out on a bicycle odyssey two years ago, he couldn't dream of leaving without his guitar. Through Europe, Western, Central and South-East Asia, he rode through everything from deserted landscapes to snowy mountains, all with his guitar in tow. Now, in Australia, Robbie continues his journey while recording his music for his Global Guitar website. Cycle Traveller touched base with the travelling musician while he was resting his legs in Adelaid

Two years ago Thomas Andersen set off from his home in Denmark on his bicycle. His destination was Sydney, Australia, on the other side of the world, but he wasn't in any rush to get there. He planned to ride through 40 countries covering about 40,000km along the way. He pedaled through Eastern Europe, Turkey, Syria, Jordan and Egypt (luckily getting through before the Arab Spring), India and South East Asia where he took a flight from Bali to Darwin making his way down the Stuart Highway to Adelaide, Melbourne and then to his final destination. This week, Thomas rolled into Sydney and Cycle Traveller caught up with him and discovered he's not yet ready to say goodbye to life on the road.

Mirjam Wouters says she was never a sporty person, just someone with an itch to see the world. Her passion for travel started young, when at the age of four she packed some cheese and a candle and set off on her first solo adventure. She was found by a stranger 5km down the road with her feet in a pond, feeding the ducks. Today, this wandering spirit continues to guide Mirjam, who is probably best known as the Cycling Dutch Girl. Back in 2003, Mirjam packed her bicycle and set off from her hometown of Apeldoorn, The Netherlands, on her way to Spain to learn Spanish – at least that was the plan. Like many cycle travellers, Mirjam found she enjoyed life on a bike too much to stop and before she knew it, she had cycled to Morocco.

It was a year and a half ago that Henrik and Mikkel loaded their bikes and set off from Denmark on a journey that would take them across six continents and more than 50 countries. They estimated the trip to be about 70,000km over three years. These days they think it may take longer as they take their time to "stop and smell the roses" and get to know the world, its people, their food, their customs and the landscapes in which they live. Over the past year and a half, Henrik and Mikkel have made their way down continental Europe, through Asia and across Australia. Starting up north in Darwin, they cut down through the Red Centre and down to the coast. Cycle Traveller caught up with Henrik Frederiksen as the two prepared to hit one of the country's most famous roads.

It was over three years ago while drinking at a bar that Mike Conway decided it was time to stop dreaming and start doing. It wasn't his first bike trip, he'd been on four already, two of which had been longer than six months. But this newest adventure was to be "really major". Seventeen years in the same job, a well incubated travel bug and a country full of sights to see were all the motivation he needed. He picked up an old Marin Muirwoods mountain bike for $70 on eBay, stripped it and began to build it up with specialised parts, including a heavy duty mid-frame pocket he designed himself.

Cycle Traveller is the online bicycle touring blog for routes, maps, resources and news about cycling around Australia. Be inspired, connect with other cyclists and plan your adventure! Founded in 2012, the Cycle Traveller community is continually growing. If you have a story to tell, information to share or a question to ask, please contact us. You can share information via our forum, or send us an email. Happy riding!